any Validity in Heretical and Schifmatical Baptifms, which they look'd upon as bad as Lay Baptifms; and he has ever fince perfifted in this ill Humour, fo far as at laft to condemn thofe who do not believe the Validity of Baptifm Adminifter'd by Women, whofe Authoritative Acts in the Church of God, are both contrary to the Law of Nature, and alfo forbidden by the Holy Ghost himself. Nay fo far have her Bifhops proceeded, as to pronounce Baptifm Valid tho' adminifter'd by an Unbaptiz'd Heathen. St. Bafil in his

66

10th Epiftle, complains of the Western Bi"fhops, and particularly the Roman, Quod Veritatem neque Norunt, neque difcere fufti"neht. Cum iis qui veritatem ipfis annunciant contendentes, hærefin autem per fe ipfos * ftabilientes: That they neither know the Truth, nor care to learn it; but they contend with them who tell them the Truth, and by themfelves "eftablifh Herefy: For which Reason their Authority ought not to be objected in this Matter by a Proteftant; efpecially confidering that fuch an Objector will not fubmit to their Decifions, even in things of a much more inferior Nature. Pour ort. 7

2

2

The Practice of the Church of England in this Cafe, would have been look'd upon as a formidable Objection, if She her felf had not anfwer'd it already by purging her Liturgy of fo Inconfiftent a Rubrick: I call it Inconfiftent, because, efpecially in King James the Firft's

Reign, She had declar'd in her Articles of Res ligion, that it is unlawful, i. e. finful for any Man to Adminifter Sacraments until he be Lawfully call'd and fent; and at the fame time allow'd by her Rubrick to Private Baptifm, that any one there prefent might Baptize the Infant (in a Cafe of Neceffity.) This can be reconcil'd to her Articles of Religion by no other way, but by fuppofing that She, by her Rubrick, authoriz❜d and impower'd Lay-men for fuch Cafes, as much, as if She had Ordain'd them by Impofition of Hands. If any will af fert this, which will be odd enough if they do, yet ftill it will not favour the Baptifm now difputed againft; for they are utterly deftitute of any fuch fuppofed Impowering and Authorizing Rubrick, as that was efteemed to have been; Tho' yet, even in that Common-Prayer-Book, upon the Prieft's Examination afterwards into the Lawfulness of the Child's Baptifm, it was requir'd, that this Queftion fhould be put to the Perfons who brought the Child to Church; viz."Whether they think the Child be Lawfully "and perfectly Baptiz'd; which (confidering the preceding Queftions, "Whether 'twas Bap

tiz'd with Water, and in the Name of the " Trinity, &c.) feems to be needlefs, and to no purpose, except by asking their Thoughts about the Lawfulness and Perfection of fuch a Baptifm, they meant to make it lawful or unlawful, as the Perfons they put fuch a Queition to, fhould think it: Which is a very strange,

and

and indeed a precarious and uncertain Fourdation for us to build the Validity of our Bap tifm upon, in fuch a Cafe of Neceffity. And therefore 'tis no wonder that the Church of England, afterwards expung'd this Question out of the Rubrick; and alfo, for very weighty Reasons took away the Liberty of Lay-Baps tizing, in her prefent Liturgy, by requiring, even in Cafes of Neceffity,that Baptism should be Administer'd by "The Minifter of the Parish, icc or any other Lawful Minifter that can be pro"cur'd; which is a fubftantial Anfwer to all Objections that may be rais'd from her for mer Practice. But if fuch a Custom had been ftill continu'd, St. Cyprian long fince laid it down for an Undoubted Truth, "That we are not to be determin'd by any Customs of that Nature, "but to examine whether they will bear the Teft

of Reafon. And Bishop Taylor fays, (peak ing of Baptifm by Midwives) "This Custom came in at a wrong Door, it lean'd upon a falfe

and Superftitious Opinion; and they thought "it better to Invade the Priest's Office, than to "trust God with the Souls which he made with "his own Hands, and Redeemed with his Son's "Blood; but this Cuftom was not to be follow'd, "if it had ftill continu'd; for even then they

confefs'd it was Sin, Factum valet, fieri non "debuit; and Evil ought not to be done for a good end, &c. This Cuftom therefore is of the "Nature of those which are to be laid afide. “No Man Baptizes but he that is in Holy Or

dersy

"ders, faid Simeon of Theffalonica; and I "think he faid truly. But above all things, "Opinions are not to be taken up by Custom, and "reduc'd to Practice: Not only becaafe Caftom " is no good warranty for Opinions, &c. But befides this, when an Opinion is offer'd only by the hand of Caftom, it is commonly a Sign of "a Bad Caufe, and that there is nothing elfe "to be said for it. Ductor Dubitantium, "Fourth Edition, Page 638, 639.

7

AND in the fame Book, Page 198, “In « all Moral Action's, there must be a Subftantial Poteftative Principle that must have propor tion'd Power to the Effect; a thing cannot be “done without a Cause and Principle in Mo"rality, any more than in Nature. If a Wo man goes about to Confecrate the Holy Sacrament, it is an ineffective Hand, fhe Sins for attempting it; and cannot do it afterwards "and it were wiser and truer, if Men will think "the fame thing of their giving Baptifm, unless they will confefs that to Baptize Children is a

to

mere Natural and Secular Action, to which "Natural Powers are fufficient, or that Women "have receiv'd Spiritual Powers to do it, and "that whether a Priest or a Woman do's it, 'is no "difference, but matter of Order only. If an "Effect be Spiritual, the Agent must be fo too Thus far that Great Bishop: And if his Reafons' are good against Womens Baptizing, as I think they are, they will be as good to all Intents and Purpofes against a Man's prefu

ming to do the like without the Divine Coms miffion; because, he is equally deftitute of a Spiritual Power, and in fact is as little in Holy Orders as the.

VIII. The lait Objection that I fhall mention is, what fome Great Men have made use of, to Eftablish the Validity of Lay-Baptifm ; and that is, That tho' it was a Sin for the Two Hundred and Fifty Princes to offer Incense; yet by even that Sinful Offering, the Cenfers, wherewith they offer'd, were hallow'd; and God himself declared them to be fo, Numb. 16. In like manner, tho' it be a Sin for Lay-men to Baptize, yet the Perfon fo Baptiz'd is thereby Hallow'd and Sanctify'd; and confequently fuch a Baptifm is Valid.

Anfw. This Objection has no manner of Force for the purpofe defign'd, becaufe 'tis not in the least parallel to Chriftian Baptism; for the Cenfers (mere fenfeless things) were capable of no Supernatural Spiritual Graces and Privileges to be enjoyed by them, by virtue of that Offering; but the Objects of Baptifm, Senfible, Rational, and Immortal Souls, are to be poffefs'd of, and to be made happy by, fuch unspeakable Benefits and Advantages as are annex'd to Baptifm. The Cenfers were wholly Paffive; but the Baptiz'd Perfon is not fo, for even in Infancy he is Active by his Sponfors; and when he comes to Years, muft be fo in his own Perfon. The Cenfers, tho they were hallow'd, yet they were not hal

low'd